How would you like to be my girlfriend?
by akari-chann
Summary: Lucy finds Gray asking her a favour. He is crept up with Juvia stalking him wherever he goes. Now he asks Lucy for help. He asks her to play as his "girlfriend". GrayLu x
1. Chapter 1

**~How would you like to be my girlfriend?**

**A/N: Yo minnaaa! This is my 2****nd**** fanfic! Thanks to those who reviewed, etc my 1****st**** fanfic (which was a NaLu one). I appreciate all your efforts! Thank you again guys! xx**

**Now this one is a Graylu fic! Tehee, I was actually thinking of making another NaLu fic then I decided to just give it a rest for a while and do a GrayLu fic this time hahaha! Hope you guys like this one though! For GruVia fans, I am terribly sorry! Enjoy~ ****ヽ****(^o^)****ノ**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**Summary: Lucy finds Gray asking her a favour. He is crept up with Juvia stalking him. Now he asks Lucy for help. He asks her to play as his "girlfriend".**

**Chapter 1**

It was already late at night, but Lucy can't seem to make herself fall asleep. She kept on asking, "Oh no, what did I bring myself into?" And the reason for her rather "uneasiness": her conversation with Gray Fullbuster earlier.

**FLASHBACK**

"At last, I'm finally home. Now time to rest!" Lucy said happily while opening the door of her apartment.

"But first, I gotta take a hot shower, and KYAAA-! Gray what are you doing here?! Didn't I tell you not to barge in my room?! Oh and since you're here… I bet Natsu and Erza's here too. Hnn, you guys really never fail to give me a headache! Come out now Erza, Natsu!" Lucy said while clenching her fist.

"Relax Lucy, they're not here. Only I came here."

"Eh? Why?"

The rather comfortable Gray, who was actually lying on the blonde's bed, sat upright and began to talk in a serious tone. "I came here alone because I have a favour to ask. Please hear me out."

"Eh? It's very unlikely of you to ask me a favour. But if that is about money, I tell you, even I don't have some and—"

"It's not about money. Lucy please, I am serious."

_Who said I was kidding, _Lucy thought. But seeing Gray in a worried-state like mood, she didn't bother to answer back; instead she just sat in front of Gray and listened to him.

.

.

After explaining the whole situation, Gray slowly asked, "S-so, how would you like to be my "girlfriend"?"

"EHHHHHHH?! Wh-what did you, wh-why, h-how is that—" Lucy said, blushing and at the same time in a state of shock on what Gray had actually ask her.

"Please Lucy, accept my offer. In return, I will pay for your rent for as long as we pretend."

"Wh-what, did you think money could buy me you—"

"No, I didn't mean it that way, I said that in order to show you that I am willing to give whatever you need just please, please accept my offer" Gray said while looking into Lucy's brown orbs.

"Actually, the reason why I don't want to accept it is because of the request itself. Not because I won't get something in return…" the blushing blonde replied.

"Please understand that I can't possibly ask this to anyone but you. I am not as close to the other chicks of Fairy Tail as much as I am with you and Erza. But knowing her, Erza might just beat the crap out of me if I ask her this. So please…"

"B-but Juvia will get even more furious at me, she might even set up death traps a-and…" she said while seemingly imagining the Water mage's wrath.

"I don't think she'd hurt you in any way though, I mean, after all, she's a nakama. Please Lucy, help me! She always stalks me everywhere I go! At first it was okay for me though, but as time passes by, she's getting more attached to me, I guess? Believe it or not, even I can't actually go to the bathroom easily because she might be somewhere there a-and—" Gray, who is terribly frightened by his own story, said.

"But that's the reason why I reject your request, you know, it'll be a big problem for us if we do that! I mean, how are we supposed to act in front of everybody? You know that I haven't had any boyfriends before a-and—" Lucy, who by now is blushing even more, said while avoiding any contact with his eyes.

"O-okay then… I won't force you if you don't want to…" Gray said while he stood up, facing the floor. "I guess I'll go now. Bye lu—"

"Wait! Okay! Okay! I'll do it!" Lucy shouted while stopping Gray from leaving.

"Really? Thanks Lucy! I know I can count on you!"

"Yeah yeah, just think of it as a "thank you" present since you've done many things for me." Lucy said, shaking off her hand, still blushing.

"Okay then, what would you want in return?"

"Nothing. It's a present, like I said, so I expect nothing in return. Ju-just remember that we'll stop this immediately as soon as Juvia doesn't like you anymore, okay?! I wonder how long that would take though…" Lucy sighed.

"Yes! Yes! Thanks again! I'll be going now. See you tomorrow, new girlfrie—" Gray smirked

"KYAAAAAA-"

**End of flashback**

_I just agreed to play as Gray's girlfriend until Juvia stops bugging him. But there's nothing wrong with that right? I mean, it's just pretending and I'm doing this for a friend. But Juvia might strangle me to death! And the other guild members will surely tease us even if I tell them the truth! I wonder what Natsu and Erza would say… Hnn. I am so nervous, I mean, this is the first time that I'll be someone's girlfriend, even if it's just pretend. Oh no, Lucy Heartfilia you sure messed up big time._ Lucy thought to herself.

_To be continued…_

**A/N: So how was the first chapter? Is it too short? I'm sorry if you see mistakes!**

**What do you think will happen next? Will their plan be a success? How do you think they'll act the next day? How do you think Juvia and the others will react? Tehee~ please feel free to review, suggest, etc! \(◦'****'****)/**


	2. Chapter 2

**~How would you like to be my girlfriend?**

**A/N: Hii minaaa! Thank you again for those who reviewed, etc my 2****nd**** fic's chapter 1! I really was glad to see that you guys are interested! Once again, thank you guys! xx**

**Special mention to ****Le' CarolinnaXannej421**** haha, don't worry, this story isn't as predictable as you think ;D **

**By the way, this is the fic's 2****nd**** chapter, hope you like it! Enjoy~ ****ヽ****(^o^)****ノ**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**Chapter 2**

A beautiful morning greeted the citizens of Magnolia. There will be a festival next week so everyone was indeed in a good mood. Everyone, but a Lucy.

_Darn it. Even though I don't have any experience in love, I should at least be able to think of ways on how girlfriends are supposed to act since I'm a writer right? Imagination, why won't you come to me when I need you the most?!_ Lucy sighed.

"Oi, Lucy! How long do you plan on taking a bath?"  
Hearing this familiar voice, Lucy wrapped herself with a towel and hurriedly came out of the bathroom. "E-eehh! Gray since when were you there?!"  
"Since you got inside the bathroom, I think. Man, I thought you'll never come out from there! Do you seriously take a bath that long every day?"  
"Well excuse me for waking up late!" Lucy said while crossing her arms.  
"You woke up late?"  
"Yes! That's because I couldn't sleep yesterday because I was thinking about- uh nevermind. By the way, what the hell are you doing here?!"  
"Well, I actually thought that since we're going to act as a couple, maybe we should go to the guild together, right?" Gray said, smiling.  
_Tch- how come this guy seems to be so unaffected with this pretend thing_? "Okay, fine. Wait for me outside, I'll just fix myself." Lucy said, rolling her eyes.  
"But why should I go outside? I mean, we're a couple now right? So that actually means that I can—"  
"LUCY KICK!"

.  
While walking their way to the guild, Lucy was tense while Gray was rather, relaxed.  
"Ne, Lucy. You know I was just kidding earlier."  
"I know."  
"You knew but you still kicked me?!"  
"I did that because you deserved it you jerk."  
"Tch-"  
"Say, Gray. You seem like a natural. Does this mean you actually had a girlfriend before?" Lucy asked out of the blue.  
"Wh-what? No, actually. So this means you're kinda my first-" Gray said, blushing.  
"Oh..." And with that Lucy had an idea. "I have an idea Gray! Don't you think our guildmates would be suspicious when they hear about our "relationship"? I mean after all, we weren't going out or being sweet to each other before."  
"Now that you mention it-"  
"So what if instead of a couple, let's just tell them that we're dating? That case, it won't be too suspicious."  
"I don't think that makes any difference at all, but if that's what you want, it's alright for me as long as the outcome will be the same." Gray said, shrugging.  
"Okay then!" Lucy said, smiling_. It may seem like it doesn't make any difference at all. But it actually does, well, at least for me though. Since we're just "dating", I don't have to be lovey-dovey to you since I'm a girl. This will be a lot easier for me! Hahaha! Lucy Heartfilia, I really commend your intelligence._ Lucy thought, smiling and nodding.

"Ne, Lucy. Don't be shocked if ever I hold your hands or whatever any time soon…" Gray said while putting his hands behind his head.

Lucy blushed, "A-ahh… by the way, Gray?"

"What?"

"Let's make a deal"

"What deal?"

"Let's promise that we shouldn't fall in love with each other while doing this act, ne?"

"A-ahh, okay… But what for? I mean, there is no chance that I'll fall in love with you hahaha!" Gray laughed.

Lucy, on the other hand, smacked the raven-haired boy on the head, "Moron! I didn't say that because I see a possibility that you'll like me!"

"Right, right! I was just kidding you know! When did you actually get this strong?"

"Be serious Gray! Actually, I said that because… because I don't want to lose a friend because of this stupid act. Let's swear that if either one of us breaks this promise, we will have to stop this pretend immediately even if Juvia still likes you or not. Ne, Gray?" Lucy said, smiling and moving her pinky closer to Gray.

"A-ahh, sure." Gray said, while intertwining his pinky with her.

.  
As they enter the guild, Lucy was heavily breathing in and out. Indeed, she was still very nervous.

Lucy thought, _okay this is good, no one notices, this is good Lucy, keep your cool, keep your-_  
"Eeehhhhhhhh?! What is the meaning of this?! Why is Gray-sama with Lucy?!" Juvia shouted while looking at the Celestial mage furiously.  
_Crap! _"Well. Uhh, actually Juvia-" Lucy said, feeling the awkwardness.  
"Lucy and I are dating." Gray continued what Lucy was about to say while he was putting his arm around the blonde's shoulders.

A minute of silence filled the entire room. And then suddenly,

"HAHAHAHAHA!" everyone laughed. Everybody, except for Juvia.

"Do you seriously think we'd believe you, huh Gray?" Macao shouted.

"Yeah! Stop kidding around!" Wakaba said.

"Yeah right. Lucy dating a guy, haha! That is hilarious! Way to hilarious…" Aquarius said looking at Lucy slowly from head to toe.

"E-eehh! What are you doing here Aquarius?! I believe I didn't summon you!" Lucy said.

"Yeah. I passed through the gate using my own power. I came here to tell Gray that the joke he just said really made my day." Aquarius mocked.

Lucy, who was quite pissed, raised Aquarius key then said, "O-okay, I see your point. You can go back now."

"Everybody shut up!" Gray shouted, which made everyone stop laughing. "We really are dating! I can prove to you that!"

_What the hell Gray! Why did you say that! Oh no, we are so messed up! _Lucy thought.

Cana whistled, "*hick* Ohh really Gray? You'll prove it? *hick*, let's see if you can kiss our blonde's cheeks then? *hick*"

Gray, who appears to have accepted Cana's challenge, took Lucy in front of him and held her shoulders. His face, slowly, slowly, getting nearer to the girl's cheeks.

Lucy panicked, _Oh no! He's really going to do it! What should I do! What should I do? Let him? I mean after all, it's just an act… What the hell did I just-?! Lucy! Get a grip of yourself! What will you do?! What will you do?! You have to think fast! Now!_

_To be continued…_

**A/N: So how was the 2****nd**** chapter? Is it okay? Sorry for the cliff-hanger though, hihi. I'm sorry if you see mistakes!**

**So, what do you think would happen in the next chapter, eh? Who do you think will do the next move? Will it be Gray? Lucy? Juvia? Or perhaps, Natsu? Or maybe, Erza? Tehee~ I promise to update as fast as I can! Please feel free to review, suggest, etc! \(◦'****'****)/**


	3. Chapter 3

**~How would you like to be my girlfriend?**

**A/N: Hi minaaa! I'm sorry if the update took long. By the way, I wanna thank you guys again for the reviews, suggestions, etc.! You inspire me so much! This chapter is a little longer than the first two chapters so I'm sorry for that! I hope you like it though! Enjoy~ ****ヽ****(^o^)****ノ**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FT. **

**Chapter 3**

Everybody watched as Gray neared his face to Lucy. Lucy, on the other hand, became stiff and just decided to slightly close her eyes. Then suddenly,  
"Wait! *hick*" Everybody stared at Cana. "How ridiculous of me. My dare was too easy, even friends could do it! And because it seems like our ice mage here is ready for any challenge, *hick* how 'bout we kick it up a notch? *hick*" Cana said, grinning.  
"Y-You do-don't mean-" Lucy stuttered.  
"Yes! *hick* Kiss. Her. Lips. Gray." Cana emphasized.

Gray gulped then faced Lucy again. Everyone watched. Erza's focused to them. Mirajane as well, but the difference was her eyes were sparkling. Happy too, who by now is covering its mouth, utterly hiding its smile. Wendy closed her eyes. Gajeel stopped chewing iron. Natsu was looking too, but merely showing any emotion. He wondered what she will do. And last to put emphasize with, Juvia, whose tears are about to fall, feeling the emotions of furious and hurt at the same time. She can't let them kiss. No. Not in front of her.

_Oh no! Cana, darn it. Why did you have to say that? I mean, a kiss on the cheek would be fine, but on the lips? Oh no, what should I do?! _Lucy thought.

Gray was on it. He is about to kiss the blonde. Slowly he is nearing his face to hers. Juvia is walking towards them. He slowly closed his eyes. She walked faster to stop the scene. Their lips are about to meet. Everybody is looking, holding their breaths, gasping. He was about to kiss her until...  
"Stop." Lucy said.  
"Uuhhhhhhh!" Most of the members shouted.  
"I believe Gray said that we are just dating. So that means we don't have any relationship yet. So I think that there is nothing for us to prove now. Right, Gray?"  
"A-ahh. I guess you're right." Gray said while scratching his head.  
"Hmm Lucy you're such a party popper! But I guess you have a point! Ja' when you're already a couple, show us that kiss then, okay?" Cana said, winking. Hearing what the drunk girl had said, Gray and Lucy just forced a smile with a hint of pink tint on their cheeks.

.

.

_Hoo! I was saved, _Lucy thought while she headed towards Mira.  
Juvia was relieved. Natsu rolled his eyes. Cana got back to drinking her booze.

"Th-that was great Lucy! It's been quite a while now since I've seen a girl not giving herself to a guy she's dating! That was superb! That's what I call a man!" Elfman shouted while teardrops were forming in his eyes.  
"Will you stop saying that?! By the way Lucy, Elfman was right. What you did was proper, you're really a girl. A girl with proper manners." Evergreen nodded.  
"A-ahh thanks." Lucy replied, forcing a smile.  
"So Lucy? So you're really dating Gray huh" Mira said with her eyes sparkling.  
"A-actually-"  
"I knew he had a thing for you! I didn't think he'd make a move though."  
"About that, well, I have to tell you something later Ms. Mira..."  
"About what?"  
"Gray and I..."  
The eldest Strauss covered her mouth, "Don't tell me you and Gray already-"  
"No! You're wrong! I'll just tell you about it later when less people are here and-"  
Mira cupped her chin, "But to tell you the truth, I was quite shocked because I thought you knew how Juvia was feeling towards Gray. But oh well! This might be a very interesting love triangle!"  
Lucy forced a laugh, "A-ahh. Speaking of Juvia, where is she?"  
"Hmm, I haven't noticed. A while ago she was here. Maybe she's sulking somewhere. You know her..."  
Lucy felt quite guilty; after all, they are friends. "I'll look for her. I will explain myself so-"  
"Hey Luce." Natsu approached.  
"Oh hi Natsu!"  
"I know that you and Gray aren't in a relationship yet, but if he makes you cry, just tell me and we'll give him a good beating!" Natsu said while raising his right arm, grinning.  
Seeing the guy's concern, Lucy blushed and smiled. And seeing the blonde's reaction, Gray walked towards them saying, "I appreciate your concern for Lucy, flame brain. But there's no need for that, I won't make her cry." The raven-haired boy got in between Lucy and Natsu then gave the latter a sharp look. Natsu, on the other hand, hissed then walked away.  
Mira mumbled, "This will be a very interesting love triangle. Or is it triangles? Coz there's Lucy, Gray, and Juvia. And then there's Gray, Lucy, and Natsu! I can't wait to see what will happen next"

"You said something Ms. Mira?"  
"U-Uhh, I was just thinking about something! Don't mind me!" Mira smiled.

_._

.

The first day of their pretend has ended. Lucy decided to tell Mirajane the real situation about her and Gray. She thought it'd nice to tell the truth to someone so she can open up when she needs to. But of course, not to Erza nor Natsu because they are the "less secretive" type of people, Lucy thought. However, she didn't bother to tell Gray that she told Mira about them because she knows that he will just scold her for doing something "unnecessary". But for Lucy, it is hard. What they are doing is hard.

It was getting dark when Gray walked Lucy to her apartment,  
"Ne, Lucy. Why did you stop the kiss? I mean, wouldn't that shut them up?"  
"It's because we are pretending as dating. Not in a relationship. So that means, what we have to show them is progress."  
"I think I get it... Do you mean, start with sweet, then sweeter, then even sweeter, then even sw-"  
"Yes. In that way, they will be more convinced." Lucy said.  
"So that means we are eventually going to be sweeter right?" Gray smirked.  
Lucy blushed.  
"Ne, Lucy. You're blushing" Gray teased.  
"I'm not! I-I am embarrassed!"  
"Haha! I'm just teasing. By the way, thanks to our act, Juvia haven't bugged me today!"  
"That's because she's nowhere to be seen. She disappeared right after you announced that we're dating. I'm feeling kinda guilty though..."  
"Don't. We said that we're just dating. We didn't kiss. What's that to feel guilty about? Don't make such a fuss."  
"Tch- the kiss. I stopped that because I won't let this stupid act take my first kiss. If I would have one, I'd like it to be true and passionate..." Lucy mumbled.  
Gray smiled and thought, _true and passionate huh..._

Without the two mages knowing, she has been following them. She, meaning Juvia Lockser.

.

.

The second day of their pretend has come. Lucy slowly opened her eyes, thinking of what might happen on that day.  
"Goodmorning Lucy." Gray greeted while reading one of Lucy's books.  
"Wh-what are doing here Gray?! And who said you could touch that?"  
"Well, I thought you said yesterday that you woke up late so I assumed that you usually wake up really early. But it seems like I was wrong. I've been waiting for so long and I was bored, so I decided to borrow one of your books."  
"A-aah. But it's still too damn early you know." Lucy sighed. "Well, since you're already here, just wait for me as I fix myself."  
"By the way Lucy, you kept on smiling when you were sleeping. Were you dreaming about me?" Gray smirked.  
"Tch- you wish!" Lucy blushed. "I'll take a bath now. Just wait here." She pouted.  
"Haha, I'm just teasing. You really look cute when you do that! If you keep on doing it, I might just fall for you..." Gray smirked then looked at the blonde's chocolate orbs.  
"Stop teasing me!"

.  
After she finished her bath, Lucy dressed up in the bathroom so Gray won't see her in a towel (even though he usually does).  
"Gray I'm almost done, I'll just comb my hair and-" _He's asleep? _Lucy thought. Lucy walked towards the guy. _Come to think of it, he's kinda cute when he's silent._ She smiled. As she walked towards him, she tripped over the book Gray was reading. It seems like our raven-haired guy was too lazy to put it back where it was and just dropped it on the floor. The blonde tripped, causing her stomach to lay flat on his chest. She squeaked which caused him to wake up.  
She turned her head only to see that Gray is already looking at her. They blushed. And after realizing the position they were in, they blushed even harder. It was really an awkward moment but it seems like these two have been enjoying it.  
"Lucy..." Gray decided to break the silence.  
"Y-yes?"

_To be continued..._

**A/N: So how was it? I hope you guys like it. Once again, I apologize for the cliff-hanger; I just don't want to be predictable that's all! Hahaha! I'm sorry if you see any mistakes!**

**What do you think would happen next? Oh, and about the result of Juvia following Gray and Lucy, it will be revealed in the next chapters. And please don't worry about GrayLu moments, this is just the beginning, this story still has a long way to go. Tehee~ please feel free to review, suggest, etc! ****\(◦'****'****)/ xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Yo minaa! As promised, I updated as soon as I can because I'm kinda busy with my other fics too entitled "His final letter" which is a StingLu, and another GrayLu entitled "Her happy ending". Hahaha!**

**By the way, I am so glad to see that you guys like the story and are enthusiastic of what's going to happen next! I have been brainstorming every day in order to produce a plot that you don't expect to happen. Thank you again for your reviews, suggestions, etc. I truly appreciate them! Now, enough of this and on to the 4****th**** chapter. Enjoy! ****ヽ****(^o^)****ノ**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FT. **

**Chapter 4**

Gray looked in a different direction then blushed, "Lucy… I, I thought we're just supposed to pretend in front of our nakamas only? So why are you—"

Comprehending what Gray was about to say, she flustered and then stood up, "Oh no, I am sorry, what you're thinking is wrong! I accidently tripped over the book, I didn't mean to—"

"Hahaha! Relax Lucy, I know what happened! I was awake all this time. Goodness you're so enjoyable to tease!" Gray chuckled as he wiped tears from his eyes.

It took Lucy about a minute before she administered what he had said. And feeling the sense of humility, the mighty blonde of Fairy Tail once again gave the ice mage a very powerful kick.

.

.

It was a reasonably busy day in Magnolia, probably because the festival is about to come in just a matter of days. Everyone was working, helping each other out.

"Ne, Gray?"

"What? If you're going to apologize for what you did earlier, that's good because your kick really hurt."

"Well, it's your fault for mocking me anyway. But you know what, it's only now that I realize how close we are. I mean, I know we are close but, I think the better term is that it's only now I _feel_ how really close we are, you know, as friends."

Gray showed a look of confusion, "Ehh, I don't get what you're trying to say."

"What I'm trying to say is, I was just thinking. Do you think we're still going to be this close after this act? I mean, after this do you ever wonder what will happen next. How are we going to tell everyone the truth? What their reactions might be? Things like that…"

Seeing the girl's bothered and solemn stare, he tried to tease her again, just to change the mood, "Woah Lucy. It's just our second day, and you're making it sound like you don't want this to stop at all. Don't tell me you're beginning to like me!"

"No, it's not that. I mean, don't you ever worry about the consequences this pretend may cause? After all, this is a lie. What we are doing is a lie."

Their discussion stopped there. Not that they were aware that they were just lying to everybody, but the thought of what might be the consequences, the endless strings of possibilities, are what scared them the most.

"This is a serious matter. We might not end up hurting only others, but also ourselves…" Lucy whispered.

.

.

As they reached the guild, the blonde surreptitiously observed around to see if the water mage has come back. And indeed she has. She was sitting alone, with a plain, blank expression in her eyes, appearing as if she was thinking of something really deep. The celestial mage felt remorseful, she thought that somehow, it was her fault.

"Gray! Lucy! Team Natsu is going on a job!" Erza said in a slightly, threatening fashion. "Just because the two of you are dating, doesn't mean that you should abandon your team and go on a mission with no one but you two!"  
Lucy interrupted, "But we never actually thought of going on a job without you guys…"

"Are you trying to protest?" the scarlet headed girl said in a menacing manner. "Going on a job without you two will be, quite strange. Right, Natsu?"

"Tch- whatever. I just want to earn money." The fire mage hissed.  
"Okay then. Get ready Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Happy! We're going on a mission within a minute!"

All Lucy could do was sigh, _as expected of Erza…, _she thought.

.

.

Soon Team Natsu arrived at Hargeon Station.

"Wh-why are we going to take the train?! I won't go in that! Happy's going to fly me to the location!"

"You wish Natsu!" Happy replied with a fish in its mouth.  
"O-Okay then! I will walk my way there!"

"Seriously, flame brain? We might be already going back to guild by the time you get there"

"Tch- I don't care!"

Natsu was about to walk away when Erza shouted,

"Natsu!"

The fire mage felt the terror crawl up his spine.

"You should come! Or else, or else I will be left out by these two" she shouted while pointing out a finger at Lucy and Gray. All the two could do was blink in confusion.

Happy interfered, "Yes Natsu! You should come, or else Erza will feel alone because Jellal isn't here!"

Hearing what the cat had said, she then changed her plain armour to The Heaven's wheel armour and threw daggers at Happy, "What did you say again?"

"E-eh nothing!"

Natsu didn't have much of a choice but to come. Happy flew towards him. Erza nodded. Gray laughed. And Lucy thought, _these guys really never fail to catch a lot of attention._

.

.

Erza sat beside Natsu so she can "take care" of the fire mage's motion-sickness.

"So what is this job all about Erza?" Lucy queried.

"It says here that we need to get a certain plant from Mt. Hakobe."  
"What? That's a lame job." Gray rustled.

"The job may be lame, but look at the reward"  
"W-wow! 200,000 jewels? That must be really hard to find!"

"I don't think it will be too hard. There are certain landmarks specified here and since Lucy's here with us, this is will be very easy." Erza pumped her fist.

The journey to Mt. Hakobe was quite long which made Lucy fall asleep on Gray's shoulder, and soon, Gray too fell asleep on Lucy's head.

Erza smiled then thought, _they may not be a couple yet, but I'm sure they'll turn into a good one._

When they arrived at their destination, Lucy tried to help Natsu as he walked,

"Geez Natsu I can't believe you still can't get rid of th—"  
"Yeah yeah, don't worry about me Luce, I'm fine!" he grinned then moved beside Erza.

_Eh? Is Natsu avoiding me? _The blonde thought.

"Lucy! Lead the way" Erza ordered.

"Y-yes ma'am!"

.

.

As they arrived at Mt. Hakobe, Lucy began searching the landmarks written in the request. She has been leading the way. Next to her is Erza and behind them are Natsu, Gray and Happy. What they thought to be an easy job turned out to be a hard one. They have been walking and searching for hours and yet, all they could see is a pile of snow. Everyone was tired, not to mention, it was bloody cold in the place. Lucy was trying her best to search for the landmarks and analyse the place for there were no specific directions to be followed written there.

"Lucy, do you have an idea of where are we right now?" Erza asked.

"Well, the last tree that we passed was the last landmark written in here, so I guess the plant is just somewhere around here…"

She was pretty sure that they passed the right landmarks, so why? Why can't they find it? As she was thinking things through, Lucy stepped on a quite unstable ice floor covered in snow. When she strode on it, the floor broke, revealing a dark pit below and who knows how deep that may be. She shrieked and instinctively closed her eyes. She didn't know how deep the pit was. Who knows, that might be the end of her. She was about to fall until someone caught her right hand. She managed to slightly open her eyes only to see that it was Natsu who was pulling her up, saving her from grave danger. She was shocked. It's as if her mind wasn't able to catch up to whatever happened. She was almost, well, dead would be an exaggerated term, so hurt badly would probably be the best word.

"Hey! Hey! Luce! You okay?!" Natsu shouted as he put the seemingly unconscious blonde in his arms.

She swore she could faintly see or hear anything, but sooner her mind began to function normally.

"Hey Luce! Answer me!" Natsu squealed.

As she began to slowly get a grip of herself, she replied, "A-aahh. I'm alright Natsu, thank you very much for saving me." Lucy said while teardrops were forming in her eyes.

"Good! I thought you were hurt or something!" Natsu sighed in relief.

"W-well I—"  
"Thank you for saving Lucy. I must admit, you've proven your worth, flame brain. But there's no need to put your presence so close to her." Gray said as he walked towards them, pushed the fire mage away, put Lucy in his arms and hugged her, "That's my job." He said as he threw a piercing stare at Natsu.

_To be continued…_

**A/N: Cliff-hanger once again! Tehee~ I'm sorry for that! So, how was it? I hope you like it and I'm sorry if you see mistakes! Please feel free to review, etc! ****\(◦'****'****)/ xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Yo minna! I'm very sorry for the late update! I was busy with my other fics I completely forgot that I updated this for quite a long time now! I'm very sorry! By the way, thank you for your reviews and everything! I appreciate it a lot! So, enough of this and on to the 5****th**** chapter! Enjoy~ ****ヽ****(^o^)****ノ**

**Warning: There is a GruVia scene in this chapter so dear GrayLu fans, please don't hate me and don't worry, after all, this is a GrayLu fic ;D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own fairy tail.**

**Chapter 5**

"What?! That really happened?!"

"Yes Ms. Mira. Even I was kinda shocked too. Good thing Natsu didn't respond on what Gray said…"

"Lucy! What if… what if Gray likes you for real?"

"I doubt that. We had a deal not to fall in love while in the middle of this act…"

"I see... But who knew that the plant you were searching for was beneath the ice floor that broke?!"

"Yeah, now I know why the reward was too high. The plant was buried under the ice floor for I think, more or less than 30 feet! But at least, I now have money to pay the rent, buy some books, and—"

"Ne, Lucy. Tell me. What exactly did you feel when Natsu saved you and Gray interfered?"

"Well… I…"

Lucy's attempt to answer Mirajane was cut when she slightly saw the looks of Juvia moving. Ever since Gray and Lucy pretended to be dating, the water mage has been quiet. She hasn't even moved from the chair she was sitting on before Team Natsu took a job. She hasn't even seen any furious stares the bluenette usually throws at the blonde when talking about the raven-haired guy. This would probably be, the first time she sees her "move" again. But wait, she wasn't simply moving. She was walking. To be exact, walking towards Gray. The blonde's heart then beat faster and louder. She wasn't starting to get jealous. But rather, scared. She was scared of what's going to happen next. She was afraid as she slowly sees her thumps towards him. She was afraid of what she might do. Meanwhile, Gray has no idea that she was about to approach him. After all, they just got back from the job and too tired to even "sense" her.

"G-g-gr" she stuttered at first. Then finally,

"Gray-sama!"

Lucy's heart was beating even faster; she was so scared, so afraid. On the other hand, Gray wasn't afraid, he was just, shocked. Shocked to see that the water mage has finally approached him. Everyone too was quite surprised; they watched the scene, wanting to see what would happen next, craving to hear the words the two parties will let out. Make that three if you count Lucy.

"J-ju-ju" she then breathed deeply, "Juvia wants Gray-sama to know that she is really hurt! She didn't expect Lucy and Gray-sama to be da-dati—like this! She wants you to know that right now, she is broken-hearted and doesn't even have the energy to do anything! But that's alright, Gray-sama doesn't need to reply…" she said as she clenched her fists and slowly lowered her head down.

Gray's mouth stood open. He was shocked to see the water mage like that. He expected her to say something like, "Juvia likes Gray-sama", and he prepared an answer for it. But she didn't confess. Upon hearing something completely different from what he anticipated, all he could do was stood up and look totally stunned.

He was about to mumble when she took a step forward and hugged the ice mage. She hugged him so tight and then started to cry, "L-like Juvia said, there is no need for Gray-sama to reply. She just…" then she let go of her tight grip, tilted her head up, then smiled, "She just wanted Gray-sama to know how she really feels." After her intense moment, she wiped her tears, "But Juvia still loves Gray-sama" she muttered as she looked at Lucy, not in a furious way, but in a way like she's saying _I'm not handing him to you that easily,_ and then ran out of the guild.

Everyone was speechless. Even Lucy and Gray. He lowered his head and went back to his seat as Juvia's tears slowly run down his chest. She lowered her head as her heart slowly broke to pieces for what she heard. She felt like it was all her fault. She felt the pain in each of Juvia's words. She felt the want to run after her but then don't know what to say afterwards. She felt the water mage's pure, innocent heart, hardly reaching out to the ice mage's cold, stone one. Everyone was quiet. No one was saying a thing. All of them were waiting for someone to break the silence, and indeed, one did. The screaking of the chair as Lucy stood up was the first noise to be heard after the water mage left. She walked hurriedly to the door, without saying a word, without showing any emotions, just plain blank. As she passed the guild's exit, a tear ran down her pretty face, her pretty, sad, face.

It was a day that they didn't expect. Or more accurately, the events on that day were the ones no one expected. It was awkward. No, it was disappointing. Or perhaps, it was just too hurtful for anyone to even talk, or do anything. It was just simply gloomy.

.

.

As she arrived at her apartment, she lay down her bed, and looked at the ceiling. She wasn't thinking, she was just staring. And as she closed her eyes, that's when she cried. She didn't cry because she was hurt. She cried because she felt that somehow, she is the cause of everything. She wasn't hurt. She was angry. Angry with herself. She badly wanted to smack her head on the wall, or slap her face, or pull her hair out, or anything. Anything that would make her feel pain. A pain that she deserves. Then suddenly, she heard a gentle knock,

"Lucy… it's me Gray"

She didn't reply.

"Lucy, don't, don't blame yourself. Please."

She cried even harder.

"This wasn't your fault. It's mine."

"…"

"Lucy, if it'd make you feel any better, I can let you slap me or—" he was cut off by her opening the door.

"Tell me Gray. Why didn't you say a thing?"

"I was…"

"You were what? Shocked? Afraid? What?!"

He can't manage to answer back.

She touched her chest, "The way I see it, it's not your fault at all. It is my fault for doing this and-"

"No, Lucy. I was… I was weak. I was too weak to face Juvia myself…"

And they stopped talking. They just stood there, like mannequins. But even so, the pain they felt that time was pure, but different. Lucy felt pain for Juvia's feelings. Gray felt pain for dragging Lucy into the mess.

"Tell me, Lucy. Do you want to stop?" he asked as he tilted his head up, probably preventing his tears.

She wasn't shocked by his question; it's just that, she didn't know what to answer, "How 'bout you Gray?"

"I… I would only want to stop if you'd want us to."

"Remember what Juvia said? The "But Juvia still loves Gray-sama"?"

"What about it?"

"Judge it, Gray. Depend your answer on it."

"But Lucy, it's you who I want to make the decision. "

"And I want you to give me the answer. Tell me. Do you want to stop?"

"…"

"Silence means yes, so I guess you want to sto—"

He interrupted, "No. By the looks of it, Juvia still likes me. If we stop, there is a high possibility that she'll stalk me once again. That's my answer."

"Then we won't stop. That's my decision." She then closed the door, leaned on it, then sighed,

_Damn Lucy, what the hell are you doing? _

_To be continued…_

**A/N: So how was it? Told you this chapter would have a GruVia on it! But this is actually more of an emotional and mysterious chappy than a lovey-dovey one right? I mean, don't you think it's strange why Lucy and Gray decided to continue what they're doing? What was Lucy about to answer when Mira asked her how she felt? And what did Juvia really heard from following them (Chapter 2) that made her do what she did and say what she said? The answers shall be revealed in the next chapters! Tehee~ But I hope you guys like it! Please feel free to review, etc.! \(◦'****'****)/ xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hi minna-san! Sorry for the late update! You see, I have 6-in progress fanfics right now. I know I shouldn't use that as my excuse, but I just wanna let you know so can understand my situation better. Oh, and also, last chapter, I asked you guys what Juvia might have heard from following Lucy and Gray during Chapter 2. My mistake! It was supposed to be Chapter 3! By the way, thank you so much for all you reviews! I appreciate it all! Now, enough of this and on to the 6****th**** chapter! Enjoy~ ****ヽ****(^o^)****ノ**

**Disclaimer: I don't own fairy tail.**

**Chapter 6**

Lucy woke up earlier than the usual today. Or rather, she didn't sleep soundly at all. She thought too much about her, Gray, and Juvia. She hasn't even noticed that the sun already came up to greet her a good morning, but the blonde just laid there under her sheets.

"Lucy!" a voice called.

She then kneeled on her bed and looked outside the window, it was Gray. She was quite surprised to see that the ice mage didn't barge in her house like he usually does. Well, maybe he thought it isn't nice to feel all comfy with her since what happened yesterday, she assumed.

"Oh, it's you Gray…" she mumbled and then fixed her messy hair.

"Eh? Don't tell me you overslept!" he sighed.

"A-ahh." She lied, "I think I overslept a bit", she forced a smile, "Why don't you go ahead?"

"O-okay." He let down his head and then proceeded towards the guild, "Tch- overslept."

As she saw him walking away, she heaved a sigh. Why did she lie? Well, maybe she just doesn't want to do anything yet. Or maybe she was just afraid of what the upcoming events might be. But she chose this right? She chose to continue what they were doing. So why is she acting like this? She asked him to go ahead, but why doesn't she feel the urge to follow him? She didn't want to do anything. No. Not yet.

"Lucy!" the door flew open which made her jump.

"Natsu? Erza? Happy? What're you guys doing here?"

"Why weren't you with Gray?"

"Wha—I, I overslept. That's why." She forced a smile.

Erza then sat on the chair, Natsu on the floor, and Happy on Lucy's bed.

She looked into her eyes, "Lucy, we're your friends. There's no need to pretend—"

_Pretend? Do they know? Did Gray tell them?_

"—pretend as if you're okay even if you're not."

_So they don't know… _"Ahh. Well, I"

Natsu interfered, "If you're thinking about Juvia, she's not yet in the guild right now"

"Natsu!" the scarlet-headed girl then gave the fire mage a solid punch on the head, "Don't just simply say things like that! We don't know what Lucy feels right now! When it comes to love issues like this, you don't basically say things like that!"

"Oh." The blonde lowered her head, "I wonder if she's okay…"

"Lucy, tell us your problem"

"I just. I just am not sure if what I'm doing is right. If I'm not, I should already have the desire to stop this, but I don't. On the contrary, I shouldn't be seeing others getting hurt right? I… don't know what to do. I, I hate myself" she clenched her fists.

"If you ask me Luce, I think the only one hurting here, is you. We all know how Juvia felt for Gray from the very beginning. But it's not your fault that you fell for that ice freak."

Erza nodded, "Yes, Natsu's right, Juvia said yesterday that she still loves Gray. See Lucy? She isn't telling you to give up and provide Gray to her at all. She meant more like, may the best woman win."

"I don't, I don't understand, but Juvia cried her heart out yesterday, she was hurt and—"

"Of course Lucy. Right now you're hurt too right? Juvia wasn't trying to get pity from anyone; she just wanted to show how willing she is to fight for Gray. And if you really like him, don't you think it's best to fight for your feelings too? I am not siding with anyone here, don't get me wrong, but you're actually thinking of a different explanation instead of the real thing."

"So, yesterday, Juvia didn't mean that I hurt her badly with what I did?"

"Yes. If she wanted you to feel how much she's hurt by what you've done, she should've confronted you and not Gray. Look at the bigger picture Lucy."

"Yeah, Luce, it's more like she wants Gray to decide who to choose in the end."

Is that really it? All the while she has been thinking of something different? She has been taking all the blame for something she thought wrong? All the while, what the water mage wanted was a competition between the two of them and the ice mage is the prize?

"What should I do now, Natsu? Erza?"

"Why not ask me?" Happy pouted.

Erza cupped her chin, "Well, either way, one of you is really going to get hurt in the end, that can't be changed because Gray can only choose one."

_You guys really aren't aware of anything… _

"So I think you should just do your best and leave the decision to Gray. You know, you shouldn't be the one having a hard time Lucy, it should be Gray 'cause he's the one who needs to pick!"

"If you ask me Luce, I think you should just do whatever your heart says. In my opinion, there's no competition at all! Gray already chose to date with you right? He stood up for his feelings even though he knows you guys might encounter problems with Juvia, but since he stood up for you, I think you should too!" Natsu grinned.

Both have different opinions, but both made a great impact on Lucy. She knows she and Gray are just pretending, but after all, they also decided to do any means to prevent Juvia from stalking Gray. So is she going to do it? Is she going to _fight for Gray?_

The three stood up and headed towards her door, Natsu waved, "Don't worry Luce. About the people in the guild, they don't even think of you as a bad person or anything. Everyone has been thinking the same thing. Everyone has been thinking that this will be an interesting match between you and Juvia."

"Wha-what? They're not worried?"

He turned his face and beamed, "Of course not! You guys know the limitations. After all, we're all nakamas!"

She tilted her head down, then smiled, "Okay"

.

.

Meanwhile in the guild, Mira has been looking at Gray for quite a long time now. She has been wondering, lately the Lucy-Gray-Juvia love triangle has been taking the spotlight, now she wonders when will the Gray-Lucy-Natsu triangle will take place.

_Lucy, I pity you for being too lucky._

_To be continued…_

**A/N: So how was it? I hope it's okay! I'm sorry if you see mistakes too!**

**By the way, don't get mistaken please. I am NOT a Juvia hater; The "Lucy and Juvia" battle for Gray isn't a physical conflict or anything like it. Like Natsu said, they know they're limitations, after all they are nakamas. Tehee~ please feel free to review, etc.! \(◦'****'****)/**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Yo minna! Sorry for the late update! By the way, thank you for your wonderful comments! You guys are the best! Now, on to the 7****th ****chapter! Enjoy~ ****ヽ****(^o^)****ノ**

**Disclaimer: My name is not Hiro Mashima.**

**Chapter 7**

It was a paradise. A silent, dark, paradise. A place where she wished she could've stayed for a very long time. She was enjoying everything; the amity, the stillness, the deep, black, quiet dreamland.

And then, she woke up.

It was true. She enjoyed her dream, if one may call it. Even though she saw, heard, touched, smelled, and tasted nothing. It was yet the best feeling she caressed after all the commotion she has been in. Even though Natsu, Erza, and Happy came to her yesterday, she decided to take the day-off and just stayed in her apartment. After that, no one else came to see her. None. Not even Gray who left the guild earlier than the usual yesterday. They can tell that he was really gloomy. On the other hand, the water mage attended the guild, but she was quiet. Perhaps it's because her love rival wasn't there.

Now a new day awakens, the blonde woke up and fixed herself immediately as the thought that the raven-haired might pass by any time now. She waited, and waited, and waited. But he didn't come. She was quite bothered. Why hasn't he showed up since yesterday? Well, if she wishes to know the answer, she thought, might as well go to the guild.

As she arrived, she saw no Gray. But what alarmed her was that, there was also no Juvia in sight. She was well, quite worried. What if they're together? Did he tell her the truth? What the hell is going on? Those were some of the questions that popped up in her head. She silently sat down by the counter not noticing that Natsu had been calling her attention ever since she arrived.

"Oi! Luceeee!" he roared which made the blonde snap out of her thoughts.

"Oh I'm sorry Natsu, I didn't notice you were calling me"

"Yeah, looked like it. By the way, Gray came by to my house a while ago."

"Ohh, then why isn't he here?"

"He's sick Luce. He asked me to tell you that he's sorry if he can't pick you up because like I said, he's in a bad shape."

"Oh…" she lowered her head.

"Don't ohh me! Aren't you going to visit him?"

Her face turned red, "Bu-but I'm-"

"Don't tell me you're shy?! Goodness, if you were my girlfriend, I'd dump you right away!" he face palmed.

"Eh?"

"I mean, what kind of girlfriend gets shy when her boyfriend needs her to visit him?!" he sighed.

"But Natsu, we're not yet-"

He cut her off by taking her hand and dragging her with him, "Okay then, since I'm your closest friend, I'll help you. Seriously, I can't believe you, Luce!"

As those things happened, she was feeling a mix of different emotions. But she couldn't help but smile to the thought of Natsu holding her hand tightly just trying to lead her towards her "boyfriend". But, why was she smiling? Did she like when he held her hand? Or maybe what she adored was his thoughtfulness? Or maybe, what she really loved was the thought that she was about to see Gray? Even Lucy was puzzled by that time.

"At last!" he let go of her hand, "We're here. Now, you go ahead, and I'll go now!"

"Wa-wait Nat-"

And just before she could finish her sentence, he rapidly ran away with a somehow "good luck" grin.

_Guess I have no choice…_ "Gra-gray? Are you there?"

Hearing her voice, he instantly stood up and opened the door, "Lu-lucy? Wha-what are you doing here?"

She sighed, "Just as I thought… you lied."

"Wha-what?"

"You're not sick. I should've known! You were just making an excuse. So…" she murmured as she entered his place, "Why did you lie?"

"I just… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Eh? Why are you apologizing? Does it even look like I'm upset? I'm asking you, why did you lie?"

"I wanted to be alone for a while…" he lowered his head

She then took a step closer to him, "Gray. Look at me and then tell me that again"

He refused to do what she said.

"Gray."

He slowly stared at her, "I… I was worried that y-you don't want to see me right now."

She chuckled, "What? You're out of your mind…" she took his hand, "Come!"

"Wait! Where are we going?"

"To the guild of course! You don't expect me to pretend all by myself right?" she showed a bright smile.

At first, he was hesitant, but after hearing what she said and seeing a face different from what he expected, he felt nothing but contentment. Lucy, on the other hand, knew that he was worried about her. And by the looks of it, she's the only one who can comfort him.

As they walked together, a certain fire mage was hiding behind a tree with a rather, sad smile.

"Say, Lucy…"

"Yes?"

"Are you-"

"Gray, if you're going to ask me a question in which you already know my answer, then please don't. Believe it or not, I dreamt of nothing this morning. To be honest, I enjoyed it for the time being. But as I thought of it, I can't possibly live with that. That darkness was to be what awaits me if I continued to be what I was yesterday. And I don't want that."

He muttered, "That's my girl…"

"Eh?! Don't pat yourself too much on the back! You know our agreements on this pretend!"

"I know!" he laughed, "I'm just glad to see that the Lucy I know is at last back."

"Good! I thought you were…"

"Were what? Falling in love with you? Now that's something that would never happen!" he mocked.

"Eh? Am I really that unwanted?" Lucy asked as she used her charms.

He blushed then looked onto another direction, "Tch-"

"See! You're blushing!"

"I wasn't!" he slowly raised his arm, "Okay, playtime's over." He said as he put his arm around her shoulders then opened the guild's door.

"Oh, there you are, Lucy, Gray. Come on, we've been waiting for you guys."

"Why gramps? What's the matter?"

"Well, since the festival is only two days ahead, I want Fairy Tail to cooperate with the citizens to make it livelier!"

"What're you suggesting, Master?" Erza questioned.

He then took out a container, "Each of you will pick a paper out of this box. Each paper has a number. Those with similar numbers will be grouped with each other and they shall prepare something for the festival. Whatever booth or group that would have the largest amount of costumers will win. Ja` time to pick young lads!"

Everyone was excited, of course! Fairy Tail was widely known for its love for occasions such as this!

"Now, to those who picked the number 1, please raise your hands!"

Much to everybody's concern, fate really knows how to play well, as Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Juvia, belonged to the same team.

_To be continued…_

**A/N: So how was it? I hope it's okay! I'm sorry too if you see mistakes! Now that the four of them are in the same group, how could the supposedly joyous festival turn out? Tehee~ please feel free to review, etc.! \(◦'****'****)/**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hi minna! Sorry for the late update! But still, I wanna thank you for all your reviews and patience! You guys never fail to put a smile on my face! Thank you once again! Now, on to the next chapter! Enjoy~**

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns fairy tail.**

**Chapter 8**

The four mages were quite shocked when they saw that they were group mates. Everyone too, was a little stunned yet excited on what's going to happen next. Even though all of them were already told to go to their assigned numbers, their stares were still concentrated at the four.

"Okay! Listen to me everyone!" Master Makarov announced, "Now that you've proceeded to your members, I want you to combine your papers with your fellows and put in on the floor."

Everyone did what they were told.

"Now, you may notice that runes appeared then. What's written in there is your contribution for the festival. For the next two days, I want you to prepare for it and give your best shot! Let me clear out again that this is a contest, so whichever team gets more costumer than the others, will receive a price. You will also be judged by the way you cooperate. With no further ado, I will now begin the competition!"

Everyone cheered in eagerness. Aside from the prize, they were also looking forward to the event.

Meanwhile, Lucy's team was quite troubled. It was written in the runes that they should perform a play.

"How could we even make a play with just the four of us?!" Natsu scratched his head, "Hey Gramps!"

"Yes?"

"Can we at least pick one from another group? I mean, look at this! We're supposed to do a play with just the four of us?"

The master then took his time to think, "Okay then. I want you to choose among Erza, Laxus, and Happy!"

The ice mage groaned, "What? Can't we choose someone else? I mean, Erza, Laxus, or Happy? I can't even—"

"Is there a problem in having a play with us?" the three threw daggers at him.

He then forced a smile, "A-ahh, no, no."

"Okay then Gramps!" the pink-haired grinned, "We choose Happy!"

"Whaat?!" Lucy and Gray protested.

"Why do you guys sound like I will be a burden? You wanted another member and you chose me to help." The cat sulked.

"Hmm." Lucy nodded, "Come to think of it, among the three, Happy would be the best choice. I mean, we already know Erza's skills when we did "Frederick and Yanderica", yes?"

"A-ahh…" Gray and Natsu shivered.

"And if we chose Laxus, Natsu's just going to use the whole time sparring with him. So I think Happy would be our best option." She sighed, _Really Gramps? I suppose you already knew that if you let us pick among those three, Happy would be our answer. You really know how to challenge your children very well._

"So, what should we do first?"

"We should think about the theme of our play."

"I suggest that Gray and I fight!"

"What? Natsu, that's not even a concept."

"Yeah flame brain. We should think of something that'll capture the people's attentions."

The blonde then sensed that the water mage wasn't saying anything at all. She knows that the both of them may not really be in the best terms, but hey, there's nothing they can do but to participate, "How 'bout you Juvia, any suggestions?"

The water mage was fairly dazed. She didn't imagine them being in the same team at all, especially with the current situation, but since it's done, they have no choice but to reach out to each other, "A-ahh, Juvia is not really good at this. But Juvia suggests that Lucy should be in charge of the script since she is a novelist. Juvia can handle the other things needed such as props."

"O-okay then. But I think these three," the blonde pointed at Gray, Natsu, and Happy, "Should help you too. But before we talk about who's doing what, let's decide first what the play is going to be about."

"Hmm, like I said Luce, I think it's going to be the best if it's about magic! You know, since we're wizards! We can spar with each other!" the fire mage pumped his fist.

"Flame brain, remember, we only have 5 members! How do you expect Lucy to make a good story out of 4 people and a cat sparring with each other?!"

"Well at least, I have an idea unlike you ice freak!"

"Hmm," the bluenette breathed, "It's really hard to come up with good twists that'll lure the citizens."

"Well, let's just make a love story since we have 2 girls and 2 guys!"

"Happy!" Natsu waved his hand, "That'd be too boring; especially we don't have a lot of characters! If we're going to do a story like that, it would be too ordinary!"

"At least it would catch attention!"

"Juvia thinks that Happy is right…"

While the four were debating with each other, the celestial mage kept silent as she listened to them. And upon hearing what they said, she began to process a good idea. She took note of the key words such as magic, wizards, spar, 5 members, twists, love story, 2 girls, 2 guys, a cat, ordinary, citizens, and attention, "Aha!" she showed a bright smile, "I've got an idea!"

"Eh? What is it?"

"Let's make a love story with twists in it. I mean, if we stick to a textbook type of love story, like Natsu said, it would be too boring. Now, in order to catch the attention of the citizens, we must make it somehow different from the natural. We can add action, drama, and humour!"

"Well," the ice mage shuddered, "We don't know anything about those kinds of things, so it'll be all up to you."

"Yeah!" she nodded, "I'll do my best! Now just give me 3 hours to write everything then we'll start practicing!"

As she began to write, she opened her mind to good ideas that may contribute to the play. Of course, she also considered her fellows' strengths and weaknesses when it comes to acting. As she was thoroughly thinking things through, Natsu and Happy used the time to eat whereas Gray used it to rest. Meanwhile, the water mage was out of sight.

A few minutes after, "Lu-lucy… Juvia brought you a juice, in case you're thirsty…"

The raven-haired slightly opened his eyes as the blonde thanked her. He was pretty glad to see that those two were working together very well.

She didn't expect that, she must admit. She thought Juvia's mind was all fixated in the "may the best woman win" thing. But maybe, she was mistaken, she supposed, "O-okay, thanks Juvia." She smiled as she took the glass and put it in front of her.

Several minutes later, Lucy became wearisome. She has been running out of ideas. Upon thinking that what she may need is just a little break, she took sight of the lemonade Juvia prepared for her. As she was about to take and drink it, the water mage secretly stared at her. As she saw the blonde slowly about to take a sip,

"Lu-luce!" the fire mage ran towards her, signalling that he accidently choke from excessive eating. He then snatched the cup from her and immediately drank it all.

"O-oi Natsu, you okay?"

He gulped, "Yeah, I feel a lot better now." After a second or two, "Ho-hot!" he screeched.

"Wha-what?"

"It's so hot! I need water! Water!" he ran around as he fanned his mouth from the spicy taste.

"Hot?" the blonde then took the glass which Natsu place on the table. As she looked clearly, she saw hints of chili powder in it.

_Wait. Chili? Does that mean… _She looked around just to see that Juvia looks upset as she failed to do her plan. _Juvia actually gave me spicy lemonade? And how dare I even take my mind off of the fact that she loves Gray. I see. So that says it all. _The celestial mage sharply looked at the water mage before she brought herself back into writing the script.

.

.

"It's done!" she cheerfully waved the papers in her hand.

"Wow! That was kinda fast. You finished it in less than 3 hours."

"Yeah, well, I had an inspiration." She smirked.

As Juvia read the script, her eyes gradually widened as she read the plot and the lines.

"Why Juvia?" the blonde teased, "Is there any problem?"

The bluenette lowered and shook her head.

"What's it all about Luce?"

"It's a love story, like what we've decided." She walked alongside Gray, "A love story wherein Gray and I are the main couple." She smiled as she held the guy's hand.

_To be continued…_

**A/N: So how was it? I hope it's okay! I'm sorry too if you see mistakes! A clear start of Juvia and Lucy's exchange of jests isn't it? But with that, how would the festival go for the five of them? Tehee~ please feel free to review, etc.! **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hi minna! Sorry for the late update! Thank you for all your reviews, I really appreciate them all! Now, on to the next chapter! Enjoy~ ****ヽ****(^o^)****ノ**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is a property of Hiro Mashima.**

**Chapter 9**

"So, are there any objections? If none, let's start practicing the whole thing!" she smiled.

"J-juvia has an objection… Is it really necessary that Lucy is the only one playing as a girl?"

"Well," she crossed her arms, "It would be too expected if we all act as our genders, so I figured out that we should somehow, put some humour into it." she grinned, "Any other objections?"

Everybody shook their heads. "Come on, let's practice and take the reward Gramps was talking about! I'm all fired up!"

"Okay then. Just to clear out each and everyone's characters, let's take a roll call. Happy!"

"Aye sir!"

"You'll play as the ferocious monster that's guarding the tower, and at the same time, my father. In that case, you'll just change costumes so the viewers won't get mistaken and think that my father is also the monster."

"Aye sir! My roles sure sound interesting. This is the first time that I'll be an incredible, frightening, strong monster and at the same time, a father!" he laughed.

"Okay, next, Natsu. You'll play as my childhood friend who'll be one of my saviours."

"Sure. I don't think I'll have a hard time acting that out. But, there are fight scenes in this one, right?"

She face-palmed, "Yes, yes. Sheesh are duels the only things you're thinking of? You'll be fighting against Monster Happy, and Gray."

"Good! I think this play will be a hit!" he grinned.

"Lucy just called me Monster Happy."

"Next, Gray. You'll play as one of my saviours too. To cut the long story short, you'll be the one getting me out of the tower."

"Okay, so that means I'll be fighting against Natsu and Monster Happy too, right?"

"Not only them," she shook her index finger, "You'll also be fighting against Juvia, the one who kept me inside the tower, she'll pretend as one of my saviours first, then she'll reveal her true colours on the latter part. We clear with that, Juvia?"

The water mage nodded.

"So to discuss the main story, it's supposed to go like this. King Happy, will ask noble princes from different places to rescue his daughter, which is me, from the castle which someone locked me into. And those princes will be Natsu, Gray, and Juvia, who will be pretending as a man. The reward will be the right to marry me. As you guys go on the way, Natsu and Gray will start having petty fights because of course, Natsu, as my childhood friend, would want to save me, but Gray, who had seen me somewhere before, would also be determined to be the one protecting me."

"This time, you called me King Happy. I think I like the sound of that than Monster Happy, Lucy."

The ice mage folded his arms and placed them behind his head, "Correct me if I'm wrong. So it's like, Natsu and I will be fighting over you?"

"Yes, but not quite. Natsu only wants to save me and return me to my kingdom safe and sound. He isn't interested in the reward of marrying me. While on the other hand, you want to save me and at the same time, be my knight in shining armour. Understood?"

He nodded in reply.

"Back to the story, as the two princes fight along the way, the evil Juvia, whose name in this story will be Juvion (pronounced as Hyu-vion), will start observing the two's magics. As the three arrive in the tower, Monster Happy, who's working under Juvion, will appear. Natsu will be sacrificing himself so Gray can go save me."

"W-what?! I object! I'll die? I don't want to die, especially for that ice freak!" he pointed at Gray.

The latter rolled his eyes in return.

"I have no objection!" the he-cat said with a fish in its mouth, "I'll be defeating Natsu in here, I love the play Lucy! You're the best!"

"Actually, the both of you will die in each other's hands…"

"Wh-whaa—so I'm not going to defeat Natsu?"

"Well, let's just say that you're going to defeat each other…" she smiled forcibly.

"Okay, sounds good to me!"

"Wha-what? That's okay with you Happy? We'll both die in the play!"

"It's okay as long as I get to defeat you. I'm going to defeat the mighty Salamander of Fairy Tail!" the blue cat rejoiced.

"Hey Happy, don't get too carried away, this is just a play!" Natsu shouted.

"Whatever Natsu!"

Gray yelped, "Will you two shut it? Continue with the story Lucy."

"O-okay. As I was saying, Natsu and Happy will die, and then Juvion will reveal his true identity. He's a stalker of mine who locked me in the tower so I could be with no one but him. You two will fight each other, blah blah blah, then Gray will win, then he will return me to my kingdom, then my father, King Happy-"

"Oh? I'm still alive? Yaaaay!"

"Of course. But you'll be alive as my father. Like I said, my father, King Happy, will grant his blessings to Gray, and then the end, yada yada, happily ever after!" she clapped her hands.

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm the only one not feeling that "happy ending"?"

"Don't worry Natsu, Juvia is feeling it too."

"Oh, right!" he pumped his fist, "Hey Luce! Juvia and I protest! You, Gray, and Happy are the only ones enjoying the story!"

"Oh, I also forgot to mention that your character will be the one with a lot of fight scenes… Gray and Juvia's fight will be quite fast because Juvion is not supposed to be a great fighter unlike the Monster Happy, which you'll be fighting… So, it's your choice if you want to switch places—"

"Nope! I'm good with that as long as I have a lot of air time!"

"Wow, his mood changed immediately! Hey Natsu, don't overdo your attacks against me, okay?!"

"Well, don't worry Happy, I'll fight you with a power that I normally use for monsters!"

"Hey! I might get really hurt! Remember we're supposed to both die in the play! Not in real life!"

He waved his hand as he giggled, "Don't worry, you won't die with my attacks, Lucy still needs a father."

"Yeah! I wonder if I'm going to wear a long beard or something!"

"I bet you'd look better with a beard, and also a mustache!"

"Won't I look like Santa Clause then?"

"Lucy's father is Santa Clause! That's good! Oi Luce, your name should be Princess Clause!"

"Will you two stop fooling around?!" she hit their heads, "Our names in the story will be the same as our real names except for Juvia, okay? Now, let's start practicing the real thing!"

"Yeah!" all of them cheered, well, except for the bluenette who seems to not like her character at all.

Of course! Why would she like it? She's going to play a role of a stalker who's madly in love with Lucy that he chose to keep her in the tower for himself. And apart from that, she's also going to fight Gray and get defeated by him! Well, dying in the raven-haired's hands doesn't really bother her that much, but the part wherein Gray and Lucy will be marrying each other does.

Oh, Lucy surely planned this out, she supposed. Now she has to think of a way so she won't lose. She won't hand out the ice mage to the celestial mage that easily. Giving up on him is the last thing she'd ever do. She needs to do something, quick.

_To be continued…_

**A/N: So how was it? I hope it's okay! I'm sorry too if you see mistakes! By the way, I might be updating really late from now on because I am schooling, but please rest assured that I will update as fast as I can. Tehee~ feel free to review, etc.! \(◦'****'****)/**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hi minna! First of all, thank you so much for all your reviews and patience! I am very sorry if I cannot thank each of you individually, but words cannot describe how grateful I am to have you guys as my readers! I really love reading your reviews because it makes me feel like none of my effort and time goes to waste. So I really thank you! By the way, I have a new GrayLu story entitled "Hello Baby". Please support it too. Ja, enough of this and on to the next chapter! Enjoy~ ****ヽ****(^o^)****ノ**

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail. I own a Lucy keychain.**

**Chapter 10**

1st day of the festival. Since the beginning of dawn, the fairies started establishing their booths. That early, they started giving fliers and advertising their stalls. Of course, everyone wants to win.

When the sun shone upon the citizens of Magnolia, that's the time when the competition became tighter. They worked double time, trying their best to capture the attention of the people. As different groups started having progress, surprisingly, _they _were the ones with no costumers at all. Yes. They, meaning Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, and Happy.

The cat sighed, "I shouldn't have left my original group… Now I won't get to see what the reward is."

"Hey, don't say that!" the fire mage roared, "By the way, what happened? Days ago, many thought that the one who'll really compete will be our group and Erza's in terms of popularity …"

"Yeah flame brain. I honestly thought too that it will all come down to Erza's group and us."

"Don't call me flame brain, ice freak!" he malingered, "Luce, what's going on with the people? Why aren't they coming here? At this rate, we'll lose!"

"I don't know… We handed out fliers like the others did and the people of Magnolia knows us… so I have no idea why…"

"Maybe it's because they know of Natsu's destructive abilities…"

"Now it's my fault, eh Happy? In the first place, if I were them, I won't come here because I won't waste my time just to watch a play, I'd rather spend my time playing games in others' booths and eat food."

With that, the blonde lowered her head. "Oops, I didn't mean to offend you, Luce. I wasn't planning to—"

"No, no. You have a point. If I were a citizen too, I'd rather play and eat just like you said. I would only watch a play if… if…."

"If what?"

She clapped her hands, "If I knew its calibre!" she smiled, "That's it guys! We just have to show them that our play is worth their time!"

"Should I scare them with my monster suit?"

She shook her head, "Instead, how 'bout giving them a glimpse of the story." She winked, "Okay guys, just like what we practiced."

.

.

She coughed in order to catch the people's attention, "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, in order to recognize the quality of our play, let us give you a foretaste of its story…

The little stand then turned into a huge stage with curtain blinds and lights on it. And of course, they were glad to see and hear the people fascinated and say "Ooohhh..." out of astonishment. Lucy then began opening the blinds,

"I, King Happy, have summoned you three Princes of different kingdoms, in order to save my dearest daughter, Princess Lucy, from the evil hands of the mighty dragon. And I shall reward to thee the right to marry my one and only daughter."

"Yes your highness, we are honoured to be chosen by yours truly." They kneeled their left knees and bowed their heads.

"I…" the he-cat began to cover its mouth, "I egspres my ngratitude ath early ath now. Go, I shey, and may you vi vlesd wid your jehney."

All started to whisper, "What did the cat say?" "Did it choke or something?" "That cat is a dad?"

"Thank you your highness." The three stood up and continued.

As the he-cat entered the backstage,

"What's wrong Happy?"

"So-sorry Lucy, I can't help it," he began to burst out laughing.

"What? What's the matter?"

"It-it's Natsu!" he laughed even more, "They all kneeled one of their leg in front of me, right?"

"Yeah… So?"

"Natsu's pants has a hole in it! I saw it!" the blue cat laughed even harder.

"W-what?" she too kinda chuckled, "Okay, enough. I hope Natsu doesn't notice it, or he'll be conscious"

As for now in the stage,

"My name is Prince Natsu, for your information, Luce is my childhood friend, and I will be the one rescuing her. I won't let her fall into either of you two's hands." He pointed at them, "If I know, you guys only agreed to this mission to marry her. And I won't let anyone abuse my friend. I swore to this flame sword of mine!" he made a sword out of his flame.

"Oohhhhh…." The people responded.

"Yeah right, don't think you're the only one with that kind of ability!" Gray then released a sword made out of ice, "I am Prince Gray and I will be the one who'll rescue the princess!"

"Yea? How 'bout let's see now who's stronger?!"

"Sorry but I don't plan to tire myself dealing with a moron like you." The ice mage rolled his eyes, "Now, what's your name?"

"M-me?" Juvia lowered his head, "Prince Juvia, err I mean Juvion." _What is happening with Juvia? She's messing up her lines! Is it because Master Gray is looking right at her? This might be Juvia's chance to show Lucy what Juvia's capable of!_ "Ju-juvion is capable of this." She then took out a sword made out of water.

"Seems like a neat magic. But I won't let you have her that easily." He smirked.

_Hearing that from Master Gray himself makes Juvia irritated, at this rate…_

"Oh no Lucy look, Juvia's water sword liquidated!" Happy yelled.

"Ouch!" Natsu held his foot which was soaked by the _boiling _water from Juvia's hands and sat down.

"Oi flame brain, you okay?"

"Sorry Natsu, Juvia didn't mean to—" The ice and water mage bumped their heads as they both came to the pink-haired's aid.

"Oh, sorry Juvia."

"It's okay, Master—" she looked at him only to see that their faces were only three inches away from each other, "Kyaaaa—" And with that, the bluenette was knocked out with blood dripping from her nose.

"Hey Juvia, you okay?"

"Hey Gray don't touch my foot it—hey, what's that?! There's a hole in my pants!"

"Did that guy called him Juvia?" "Yeah, I thought his name was Juvion?" "Is this part of the play?" As she heard those murmurs from the audience, she began to think of what she should do first: And of course, that's to help Natsu.

"Natsu! Here's a bucket of water!" the cat flew immediately.

"No! Happy that's boiling water!" yelled Lucy who wanted to stop the he-cat, "That's supposed to be one of our props…" she face-palmed.

"What?" and before the cat knew it, he already splashed all of it to him.

"Ouch!" the fire mage roared even more. "That didn't help at all Happy!"

"Sorry Natsu!"

"Here Natsu!" the celestial mage carried a bucket of cold water, "This'll make you feel, waaaaaa—" she slipped from the water from Happy's bucket.

She was supposed to fall butt-first, but thanks to Gray who managed to prevent her from falling by hugging her, she avoided injury.

The fire mage ran towards the blonde, "Give me that Luce! Oooo-ooohhh!" he slipped causing him to push Gray.

She closed her eyes as she knew they were about to fall, and when she opened it, she saw the ice mage on top of her, both of his hands beneath her head so it won't suffer from any impact. She blushed as she realized the position they were on.

"Sorry Lucy, you okay?" he threw daggers at Salamander, "Hey watch it Natsu!"

"Well sorry for having myself blistered by hot water! And what do you think you're doing to Luce?!"

"Wh-what?" he immediately stood up, "I, I didn't mean that! I was trying to protect her!"

"Yeah? Seemed to me like you were grabbing the opportunity" he crossed his arms.

"What's it to you?"

"Well it means a lot to me!"

She was shocked to hear what the pink-haired had said, _means a lot to him… _And right after that, she decided to go in between of the two, "Hey you two, stop this!" she pushed them both aside.

But of course, she couldn't stop them from bumping their head against each other like they usually do.

"This guy's getting on my nerves, so don't stop me Luce."

"Yeah, want a piece of me? Bring it on flame brain!"

"I said stop it!"

"Hey Natsu, Gray, stop this, Lucy's being squeezed in between you two!"

"Well it's your friend's fault, Happy!" the raven-haired finally broke the "head-butt challenge", "He talks as if he likes Lucy, well, tell him he's too late, she's all mine." He smirked.

The fire mage then opened his mouth to say something, but just decided to shut up.

"I said…" the nerves on her head started popping up, "All of you stop itttttt!"

And with that, she sent the three flying away with her Lucy Kick, and what she only heard was a shriek from the cat yelling, "What did I doooo?"

As she was panting, she closed her eyes and thought of what happened and realized that there was an audience in front of them, _Now we're screwed. Goodbye, good ol' rewar—_

*Claps*

She opened her brown orbs and saw the crowd applauding and cheering, "Nice one Princess Lucy!" "Yeah, you show them!" "Maybe I'll watch the real play." "Yeah, it seems promising!" "You're so cool Princess!" "Prince Gray is so handsome!" "I think Juvion is hot!" "Prince Natsu is the one for you Princess!"

And upon not knowing what to do, all she did was force a laugh, bow elegantly, and ran to the backstage in order to close the curtain as she sighed, _"_… _Natsu"_

_To be continued…_

**A/N: So how was it? I hope it's okay! I'm sorry too if you see mistakes! Looks like they are slowly opening up their feelings towards each other. Please let me clarify that the exchange of words by Natsu and Gray aren't a serious fight, it's just like how they usually do (you know, their petty brawls). The atmosphere only started to become serious when Gray said that he owns Lucy. And seeing the fire mage's reaction, she decided to kick them all out of the stage. Now, what could possibly happen next? Tehee~ feel free to review, etc.! \(◦'****'****)/**


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